Uber Reshapes Leadership: Macdonald Takes COO Role as Platform Strategy Accelerates
In a strategic leadership overhaul announced Monday, Uber Technologies has reinstated its chief operating officer position after a six-year hiatus, elevating longtime executive Andrew Macdonald to the role while bidding farewell to delivery chief Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty.
The restructuring signals a pivotal shift in Uber's organizational strategy as the ride-hailing and delivery giant seeks to unify its disparate business lines and capitalize on cross-platform opportunities that have largely remained untapped.
The Architect of Mobility Takes the Helm
Macdonald, 41, who joined Uber in 2012 as the company's first general manager in Toronto, has been promoted to president and chief operating officer after serving as senior vice president of mobility and business operations since 2019.
In his expanded role, Macdonald will oversee Uber's global mobility, delivery, and autonomous-driving businesses, as well as critical cross-platform functions including membership, customer support, and safety. The promotion comes with a $5 million restricted stock unit award.
"From launching our Toronto operations 13 years ago, to scaling our Mobility business, to spearheading our Autonomous strategy, Mac has proven himself as a highly effective leader at Uber," CEO Dara Khosrowshahi stated in the announcement.
The appointment marks a significant milestone in Macdonald's career trajectory at Uber, where he has systematically built expertise across the company's core business units. His record includes launching Uber's Canadian operations, scaling the global mobility business, and leading the company's autonomous vehicle initiatives.
The Delivery Pioneer's Departure
The reorganization coincides with the departure of Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty, who has led Uber's delivery business for nearly 13 years. Gore-Coty joined Uber in 2012 as a general manager in France and took over the delivery business just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically altered the landscape for food delivery services.
Under his stewardship, Uber Eats evolved from a supplementary offering into a cornerstone of the company's business model. By 2025, the Delivery division was generating over $3 billion in annual EBITDA and growing approximately 18 percent year-over-year.
Despite his operational successes, Gore-Coty's tenure was not without controversy. In 2015, he faced legal challenges in France related to Uber's UberPop service, which was deemed illegal under French taxi regulations. He was subsequently fined €30,000 following a conviction for operating an unlicensed taxi service.
The Return of a Critical Role
The COO position has a complex history at Uber. Khosrowshahi eliminated the role in 2019, less than a month after Uber's disappointing initial public offering, forcing out then-operating chief Barney Harford.
The six-year gap without a COO reflects Uber's evolution from a crisis-prone startup to a more mature technology platform. The role's reinstatement suggests Khosrowshahi is ready to delegate significant operational responsibilities as the company scales and pursues deeper integration across its service lines.
Strategic Imperative: Cross-Platform Synergy
The leadership restructuring addresses a critical growth challenge: currently, fewer than one in five Uber consumers use both mobility and delivery services in a given quarter—revealing significant untapped potential within the company's existing customer base.
"By bringing both businesses closer together along with Core Services, the engine of Uber, we can accelerate our efforts," Khosrowshahi noted in his memo to employees.
This integration strategy represents a fundamental shift from viewing mobility and delivery as separate verticals to creating synergistic platform effects that could drive higher customer engagement and spending.
Market Performance and Investor Sentiment
Uber's shares showed minimal movement in after-hours trading following the announcement, closing at $83.64 on Monday. However, the stock has demonstrated strong momentum in 2025, rising 39% year-to-date.
Wall Street analysts maintain an optimistic outlook, with 44 analysts setting an average price target of $96.19—representing a 15% upside potential from current levels. The consensus "Outperform" rating from 53 brokerage firms suggests broad confidence in Uber's strategic direction.
Yet this optimism isn't universal. GuruFocus estimates suggest potential downside, with a fair value estimate of $76.66, implying an 8.35% decline from current prices. This valuation divergence highlights ongoing uncertainty about Uber's growth trajectory and profitability sustainability.
Competitive Pressures and Strategic Moves
Macdonald inherits leadership at a time when Uber faces intensifying competition across both core business segments. In ride-sharing, Lyft continues to compete aggressively in North America, while DoorDash dominates significant portions of the food delivery market.
Recent strategic moves include Uber's $700 million acquisition of an 85% controlling stake in Trendyol Go, a Turkish food and grocery delivery service—demonstrating the company's commitment to international expansion as domestic markets mature.
Investment Perspective: Opportunities and Challenges
For investors evaluating Uber's prospects following this leadership transition, several key factors merit attention:
Cross-Platform Potential: If Macdonald can significantly increase the percentage of users engaging with both mobility and delivery services, Uber could unlock substantial revenue growth without proportionately increasing customer acquisition costs. Even a modest 5% improvement in cross-platform adoption could generate hundreds of millions in incremental annual revenue.
Operational Efficiency: Consolidating previously siloed functions under Macdonald's leadership may yield meaningful cost synergies, potentially improving EBITDA margins by eliminating duplicate teams and technologies.
Execution Risk: Macdonald's success will depend on his ability to integrate teams with different operational cultures and priorities. Early indicators of friction between mobility and delivery teams could signal integration challenges.
Regulatory Landscape: Both mobility and delivery segments continue to face regulatory headwinds globally. Investors should monitor developments in driver classification rules, municipal regulations, and antitrust scrutiny.
Autonomous Timeline: Macdonald's oversight of Uber's autonomous driving initiatives bears watching. Progress in this area could significantly reduce per-mile costs over the long term, though regulatory and technological hurdles remain substantial.
As Khosrowshahi reassured employees that he has no plans to leave "anywhere anytime soon," the leadership restructuring appears designed to position Uber for its next growth phase rather than signaling broader instability.
For Macdonald, the mandate is clear: fully realize the power of Uber's platform by driving meaningful integration across services and unlocking the "huge opportunity for future growth" that cross-platform engagement represents.